Resolutions
by sephy.xo
Summary: Eventual LoVe. Veronica disappeared shortly after the PiSigma party. Sixteen years later, she's back for a visit. Sucky summary, hopefully the fic is better.
1. Prologue

Title: Resolution

Summary: Veronica disappeared from Neptune and Hearst College after being raped by Mercer. I know he didn't really rape her, but for the sake of this story, he did. I started writing this a couple of years ago, and have only just returned to the world of fanfic. Now I'm rewriting what I already had posted and just generally making it better... and finishing it this time. =]

Rating: M for language and adult themes.

Prologue

Keith Mars knocked on his daughter's bedroom door and saw a sight that broke his heart: Veronica curled on her bed in a tiny ball, a blanket wrapped around her tightly as if a shield from the world. He sat beside her, his weight causing the edge of her waterbed to sink, forcing her to roll towards him. Lightly he stroked her hair.

"You wanna talk about it, honey?" he probed, his voice low.

"No," she whispered, scared to speak. Veronica knew that talking about 'it' would break her father's heart and no matter how bad she felt, she didn't want to destroy him like that.

"Okay. I'm here when you do, though. You know, Mac and Wallace came by today. I told them you were sleeping, but they're worried about you, honey. Maybe you could call them, and talk to them?"

"No," she whispered again. Her friends only knew her as tough, and she didn't want to disillusion them. More than that, though, she didn't want to talk about what had happened on the night of the PiSig party. Which would leave them thinking that she was this traumatised over the break-up with Logan. She shuddered at the thought.

"Okay," Keith rose to leave, but paused before he did so. "If Logan comes by..." he started, but got a response quickly.

"No."

"Alright, honey," he whispered, closing the door gently as he left.

The Mars duo played the same scene for over a week and the truth slowly dawned on Keith. The level of anguish in his daughter could only have been caused by one thing. He rushed in to Veronica's room, but struggled to find the words.

"Mercer, he... he raped you." The words were the catalyst for Veronica's break down. She tried to blink away the tears but within ten seconds her cheeks were soaked with hot brine. Keith rushed to his daughter and clung to her, unsure whether he was trying to comfort her or himself. "Why didn't you tell me, baby?"

"I didn't want it to be real. God, if I'd've just listened to you, dad. None of this would've happened," she wiped her face with her sleeve.

"You can't think that, honey. It wasn't your fault. You know that," he paused, trying to work out what to do with his newly found information. "We'd best get you down to the police station and make sure that boy pays for it."

Veronica shook her head and spoke barely audibly, "I don't want anyone to know, dad."

"But, V'ronica," Keith started. He stopped the moment he saw his daughter's shaking head. "It's up to you. If you don't want anyone to know that's your choice. He'll do plenty of time, anyway."

Veronica smiled weakly, her eyes still glistening, "Thanks, dad."

"Hey, it's what I'm here for. Now, is there anything else I should know?" he tried to laugh, but neither he nor Veronica could see the funny side.

"Dad... I don't think," she stammered, fearing the words she was trying to say. "I don't think he used anything, I don't think he used a condom."

The blood drained from Keith's face, his skin turned ashen as he tried to work out whether he could smuggle his shotgun in to the cell where Mercer was being held.


	2. Never Look Back

_**Title:**__ Resolution_

_**Summary:**__ Veronica disappeared from Neptune and Hearst College after being raped by Mercer. I know he didn't really rape her, but for the sake of this story, he did. I started writing this a couple of years ago, and have only just returned to the world of fanfic. Now I'm rewriting what I already had posted and just generally making it better... and finishing it this time. =]_

_**Rating:**__ M for language and adult themes._

_**Disclaimer: **__All characters etc belong to Rob Thomas/The CW/the powers that be. _

ChapterOne

"Breakfast time, honey!" Veronica screamed to the sixteen year old who was just waking upstairs.  
There was a fifteen minute delay before Lilly Mars dawdled downstairs, dressed in tight jeans and a low-cut top. Veronica almost laughed when she saw her – the similarities between her daughter and her namesake were often more than coincidental, and somewhat disconcerting.  
"Come on, eat then school," she urged, though she knew her daughter needed no encouragement. Within three minutes, the pile of pancakes and lagoon of maple syrup had been consumed, and Lilly could be seen acting as a whirlwind: storming to her bedroom to find her school books, then back down stairs to find her car keys, before disappearing behind a cloud of dirty exhaust fumes as she drove to school.

Veronica, in contrast, spent more time with breakfast, showered and arrived at her office with twenty minutes to spare before her nine o'clock appointment. She passed her neon sign declaring "Mars", one of the only similarities between her father's and her own offices. The main difference was their location: Keith's back in Neptune, Veronica's in Seattle. Though she had originally only seen being a PI to last until the end of her college days, those days had ended before she had finished her course. Eventually being a full time PI had sufficed.

Sixteen years later, she had set up a series of offices, each time training an apprentice, of sorts. The arrangement had suited her: she had a successful, nationwide business, and she was able to move locations when she became bored or unhappy in the place she was. The only place she never returned to was, naturally, Neptune.

Though it was a frequent cause of friction between her and her father, Keith was aware that Neptune may not be the best place for either his daughter or granddaughter. News had always travelled quickly in the small Californian town, especially when it concerned the Mars family. Sixteen years ago, 2007, his daughter had 'mysteriously' disappeared after being involved in solving the Hearst rape crimes. Neither her friends nor boyfriend had any idea as to where she had gone. Keith's little girl had run to him as soon as she found out. She was eighteen and pregnant.

Before she had even told him, Veronica knew that she was going to quit college to have her child. Though it'd broken Keith's heart to see his daughter in such turmoil, he was the proudest, happiest father in the world to witness his only daughter deciding to follow his profession and become a mother. The only thing that saddened him was her refusal to see her friends, to even let them know she was okay. Four months into her pregnancy, she moved in to her own apartment an hour away after she grew sick of hearing her father lie to everybody about her whereabouts. She lived modestly, and did some of the lighter work for her father. She saved every cent she could until she could move further afield, further away from Neptune and all the pain.

Wisconsin was the chosen destination. After renting the smallest, cheapest office she could, Veronica set up Mars Incorporated. Though business was slow to begin with, she eventually became swamped and took on an apprentice. From there, her very own PI company had taken off.

Now, she was here: thirty five, her own house in the 'nice' side of town. Her daughter, her pride and joy, was happy, popular and studious. She thought of a time where she herself had been in that situation: sweet sixteen and untouchable. It was a beautiful place to be, and she hoped that history would never repeat itself.

She eyed her surroundings. Her décor was completely different to her father's: clean, cream walls and blue comfy chairs were features. It was sleek but not unfriendly, and she was pleased. She heard the door to her office open and she stole a glance at the large silver clock on the wall. 8.55, her appointment was early. Just as swiftly as the thought ran through her mind, she met her visitor with a smile.

"Hi, how can I help you?"

"I have an appointment with Ms Mars at 9.00. Am I in the right place?" Everything about him was familiar. She tried to put it down to his appearance. He was everything she had once left behind: sunbleached hair, tanned skin, board shorts and shell necklace. He was a prime specimen of a sufter, which begged the question what was a surfer doing in Seattle? What's more, there was an Australian twang in his accent, which threw her off guard. Something about him made her uneasy.

"Certainly are, can I get you a coffee whilst you tell me what I can help you with?" She tried to regain her composure. The response she received was a chuckle.

"No thanks, Ms Mars," he paused, "You don't recognize me, do you?"

"I can't. I can't place you," she shook her head. Her sense of unease had heightened, she was now nothing short of panicked. "How about we ignore that, and you tell me how I can help?"

"Okay. Come home with me this weekend," the man before her spoke the words as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Veronica shook her head.

"That's not what we do here, sir. We find missing people, we rescue missing animals, we bring down fraudsters. We're not an escort service." She gave him a tight smile, "Now, I'm afraid I can't help you. If ever you _do_ need a private investigator, though, I'd be happy to help."

The man in front of her laughed again, then stopped suddenly. He chose each word with care, trying to undo the insult she thought he'd paid her, "I know exactly what you do, Miss Mars." Veronica's eyebrows raised at the word 'miss', as it appeared that this man knew more about her than he had previously let on. "I'm not looking for a private detective. I already found my missing person, and I'd like her to come to a high school reunion this weekend. Well, it's a birthday party technically, but our whole senior year from high school is invited, so it'll be like a reunion," he paused and looked her dead in the eye. He saw the penny drop as she finally recognized him. "So tell me, Veronica, what's it going to take to get you back to Neptune on Friday?"

Veronica stood stunned. She had known that this day would come one day. But as every year had passed, she had convinced her conscious mind that no-one would bother. It finally happened: sixteen years after she first left and suddenly, someone cared.

"How did you find me, Duncan?"

_Thanks for reading; all feedback is appreciated – good or bad. =]_


	3. Fall Back Into My Life

_**Title:**__ Resolution_

_**Summary:**__ Veronica disappeared from Neptune and Hearst College after being raped by Mercer. I know he didn't really rape her, but for the sake of this story, he did. I started writing this a couple of years ago, and have only just returned to the world of fanfic. Now I'm rewriting what I already had posted and just generally making it better... and finishing it this time. =]_

_**Rating:**__ M for the language? Do not read if swearing offends you. _

_**Disclaimer: **__All characters etc belong to Rob Thomas/The CW/the powers that be. _

_**A/N: **__I am super sorry it has taken me so long to update. I don't have enough time to write, and I'm a perfectionist so that doesn't help. Huge thanks to everyone who reviewed – every time I saw a new review or that someone had clicked that 'alert' button, my day got ten times better. I know, I need a more interesting life… But please – let me know what you think: good, bad, or ugly? _

**Chapter Two**

"It's been nearly two decades and that's all I get? Give me a hug, Veronica," Duncan grinned, walking towards her, arms wide.  
"Sorry, it's just… surprising," she said as she let his arms envelope her frame.  
"What, that someone finally took the time to Google 'Veronica Mars, private investigator'?" he smirked, his chin resting on her head.  
"Yes. No. I don't know," Veronica sighed and unraveled his arms, setting herself free. She took a sharp intake of breath before speaking up again, "I don't know whether to be touched or mad. Apart from my dad, you're the first person from Neptune to come and visit. Everyone else… either respected my wishes enough to leave me alone, or didn't care enough to try to bring me back," she shrugged, shaking the thought from her head. "Anyway, why are you here?"  
"I was joking when I said that I googled you. I still remember some of the old sneaky spy stuff from high school," Duncan forced a smile out of her before turning the conversation more serious. "Besides, you know how much we cared. That doesn't just go away, you know…" he trailed off, leaving Veronica unsure as to whether he was talking about himself. He shook his head briefly, ridding his mind of what ever had just crossed it and spoke again, "I told you why I'm here, I didn't think you'd want to miss a party. A 30th birthday party, nonetheless."  
Veronica looked at him, confused, "Thirtieth? Why is someone six years younger than us inviting our senior year to their 30th birthday?"  
"Because math never was Madison Sinclair's strongest subject," Duncan replied, a twinkle of mischief in his eye. Veronica chuckled to herself. "You're going to come, aren't you?"  
"I'm sorry, Duncan, I'm not going back to Neptune," Veronica avoided his meeting his gaze, his eyes glared accusingly.  
"Damn, Veronica. I came all this way for nothing."  
"I didn't ask you to!" She defended herself quickly.  
"What are you so afraid of?" He asked, trying a different tactic to get his way.  
"Why does it suddenly matter whether I go back to Neptune or not?" She demanded, scowling at Duncan as he eyed the carpet guiltily.  
"Don't be mad," he started.  
"Duncan, what did you do?" She breathed the words, scared of the answer.  
"It was an accident. I was trying to cheer Logan up a bit. I thought a party would do him good, and then he said he'd go if I could get you to go. So I said that didn't sound too difficult, and some how he's been more… human since. Just the thought of seeing you again has compelled him to shave," Duncan gave Veronica a crooked half-smile. "He's my best friend, Veronica. I just want him to be happy."  
Veronica snorted, "Why not just take him on a double date with some hot pieces of ass?"  
"He hasn't been like that in a long time, Veronica. Maybe if you ever went back to Neptune you'd see that for yourself," the words were barely more than a whisper but they hit Veronica with the force of a hurricane. She shook her head to herself: she really had no idea how Logan had coped when she had left. Her father tried to tell her once, but she had silenced him quickly, unable to bear how much she had missed the brown eyed boy that her world once revolved around. She had pictured that he was happy: he'd found himself a faceless blonde who would look at him with adoring eyes and an innocent smile; a girl who wouldn't be able to believe her luck; a woman who was the opposite of herself. Duncan's words chafed the surface of her curiosity and before she knew it, she'd decided to go to this stupid party.  
"I'll think about it," she finally conceded, not wanting Duncan to report that the thought of seeing Logan was what had swayed her decision. Duncan didn't reply verbally, but held her in a tight embrace, "If you suffocate me first though, this trip will have been for nothing."  
"Sorry, I just… don't disappear again before Saturday, okay?"  
"Promise," she smiled and gave him a quick nod. "So, I guess I'll see you Saturday? I have plane tickets to book, a dress to buy, appointments to cancel…" she trailed off, hoping that he'd be happy to leave and trust her to get to Neptune herself.  
"Okay, but if the thought of standing us up crosses your mind…" he started chirpily before his voice turned dark, "I know where you live."  
"Yeah, alright smart ass. Get out here, let me do my thing," she laughed, pushing him towards the door.  
"Two more things," he said, pulling an envelope out from a pocket, "Your invitation and tickets, ma'am," he bowed lightly, and bolted before Veronica had the chance to object to the plane tickets that he'd bought for her in hope.

Veronica tore her way in to the envelope before the door had closed behind him, and let the contents fall like confetti on to her desk. On pink and scented paper, embossed black text declared that she, plus one, was invited to 'the celebration everyone is waiting for'. The second piece of paper she picked up was a scrawled message from Duncan, "please, don't bring a guy – he won't be able to handle it." She rolled her eyes and felt a fraction of annoyance. Logan wasn't her problem any more, did he honestly think that he had some claim to her? She shook the thought from her mind; she didn't even have a guy to bring. She'd never had a guy to bring. In her sixteen years of being away from home there had been no one. Sure, there had been a date scattered here and there, but there was no one she'd consider letting her father meet let alone someone special enough to take to Neptune. She was taking Lilly: there was no question, no alternative, and no one she'd want more to support her. Veronica eyed the plane tickets last. She'd clocked them, known they were there but didn't want to consider them. She looked at the time and date and knew she'd have to do Lilly's packing for her if they were doing to get the plane… and it would be rude not to, wouldn't it? She sent her daughter a quick text message, asking her to come straight home after school. Knowing that this type of request was so rare that Lilly would automatically know it was important and comply, she was able to calm her self enough to work out what she had to do.

It took her ten minutes to clear her diary for the next day, and thirty seconds to check she had nothing scheduled on the Monday, just in case. She then sped to the mall to buy a dress for return to Neptune's high society. After trawling through three stores, she finally settled upon a black dress: classily understated, simple yet exquisite. It was strapless, stopped just above her knees, and flattered her shape so that she looked flawless. She found a perfect pair of heels and a clutch bag to accompany her outfit and was satisfied that she would not look too out of place. Veronica raced home, moving about her house like a lightning bolt trying to pack for both herself and Lilly.

Once she was satisfied that she had prepared herself as much as possible, Veronica sat on her couch and waited for her daughter to arrive home. _"What am I doing? Going back to Neptune… I must be crazy," _she thought to herself as she glanced at the delicate silver watch on her wrist. 3.35pm. Lilly would be arriving any minute and they would need to get to the airport immediately, unless Veronica changed her mind before Lilly had even arrived. Veronica kept reminding herself of all the positive things there were about spending a weekend Neptune – she'd be able to see her dad, she'd get to see what was going on back in California, she'd get some sunshine. She pushed all thoughts of Logan from her mind, and tried telling herself that he wasn't the reason she was dragging her daughter to a party she would've avoided if she had still lived in California. Veronica was so deep in thought that she didn't hear Lilly come through the door.

"Mom? Why are there suitcases by the door? Mom?" Lilly waved her hand in front of Veronica's face.  
"Hey, honey, I didn't hear you come in… I can't explain everything right now, but how would you feel about coming away for the weekend with me?" Veronica saw Lilly's face crumple with disappointment.  
"Do I have to? Suzy is have a party and I kind of _really, _really want to go, mom."  
"Damn, I guess you'll have to stay here by yourself and not go to Neptune with me, then."  
"Neptune as in Grandpa's Neptune?!" Lilly asked in surprise.  
"The Neptune you've been asking me to take you to visit since you were old enough to talk," Veronica nodded.  
"I'll go and pack," Lilly turned out of the room and started running out of the room.  
"I've already packed for you, Lil, we've gotta go now," Veronica yelled in response, panicking her daughter.  
"Is Grandpa okay? He's not sick is he?"  
"He's fine, now get your behind in the car. It's a four hour flight, I'll explain everything then."

Six and a half hours later, Veronica stood at the reception desk of the Neptune Grand, trying to book a room for the weekend. Despite pleading for any other room, she ended up accepting the only room available for the weekend: the Presidential Suite. Rachel, the receptionist, politely informed her that it was very unusual for someone to want a room _right now_, and that most of the hotel was booked up as there was some party going on in Neptune this weekend. Veronica's only response was an eye-roll. She led Lilly to the elevator, and tried not to think about the fact that she was going to spend her weekend in Logan's old room. She counted to fifteen as the elevator slowly took them to the top floor. The bell sounded, alerting them that they'd arrived at the correct floor. The doors slowly opened, and Veronica let out a gasp. As he had so many times before, Logan Echolls stood before her with the same deep brown eyes and good looks, five o'clock shadow and messy hair that he always had.

"Logan," she breathed.

_Like I said, I'm not completely happy with this chapter. Thank you for your patience and thank you for reading. Please please please hit the review button (I'm desperate, I know), it'll encourage me to write more. _


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